JAPAN BIOCHAR ASSOCIATION

JAPAN BIOCHAR ASSOCIATION

The Japan Biochar Association announced its establishment on 19 January 2009 at a promoters’ meeting. It is named it an “Association” not an “Initiative” because Biochar’s production as well as utilization has been practiced broadly by farmers, foresters, gardeners, and builders (Charcoal is utilized for humidity control in basements) for more than 20 years in Japan. JBA promoters, headed by Dr. Makoto Ogawa, agreed its targets are:

Defining standards for the production and utilization of Biochar.

Research on life cycle (LC) CO2 to evaluate the net carbon sink capacity of Biochar.

Advocating Biochar’s potential related to combatting global warming.

Networking Asian countries to promote international progress on Biochar.

Establishing the institution for certification of carbon sinks by Biochar in Japan.

JBA had its first general meeting on 4 April 2009 in Osaka. Click here for more information (in Japanese). We hope many Asian friends will join in our movement.

To contact the Japanese Biochar Association, please email the managing director of Ritsumeikan University, Akira Shibata.